Arne Slot may have to axe Ibrahima Konate for Liverpool v Newcastle after what he did
Arne Slot has to be prepared to make changes to his Liverpool side to take on Newcastle United if he wants to come away with all three points.
The Reds are still sitting comfortably at the top of the Premier League, 11 points clear of Arsenal in second place.
However, some of their recent performances have been under-par and with this game potentially having a psychological part to play in the upcoming Carabao Cup final, their best form is crucial.
Slot needs to axe Ibrahima Konate v Newcastle United
Liverpool welcome Newcastle to Anfield on Wednesday (26 February) night in a game that is being labelled by some as a Carabao Cup final preview.
Although the Reds got a comfortable 2-0 victory against Manchester City under their belts on Sunday (23 February), Ibrahima Konate was one player who was not up to the required standards on the day and may need to be axed by Slot.
The 25-year-old has continued to be a reliable man for his manager this term and has made 21 Premier League appearances throughout the season.
However, the defender has struggled with injury already in this campaign, and keeping him fresh may be best, with Jarrell Quansah catching the eye recently.
Against City, Konate won zero per cent of his tackles [FotMob], made just one interception and was dribbled past twice showing he was certainly below levels.
In his defensive duties, he really failed to make an impact and lost four out of his six duels on the afternoon, as he was beaten too frequently.
With just a 33 per cent success rate for his ground duels, it’s no surprise that the defender committed two fouls, likely out of his frustration for being unable to get the better of his opponent.
While City are certainly a strong team, if Konate delivers similar numbers against Newcastle, there is no doubt players with quality like Alexander Isak will take advantage of that.
Liverpool need to send Newcastle a warning with victory
The Reds have already been given a disadvantage going into the game against Newcastle as Slot will be forced to watch it from the stands thanks to a touchline ban for his red card at the end of the Merseyside Derby against Everton.
However, given their impressive form this term that has got them sitting so comfortably at the top of the table, the Merseyside outfit will be looking to build on that and give their opponents an early warning.
| Team | Wins | Draws | Losses |
| Liverpool | 19 | 7 | 1 |
| Newcastle United | 13 | 5 | 8 |
Therefore, to make sure his side are in their best shape approaching the game, Slot may need to axe Konate from his starting line-up after the performance he put in against Manchester City.
While the Merseyside outfit have continued to pick up wins in recent weeks, their performances have certainly not been up to scratch and that may suggest that a refresh is needed.